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Children will be offered counselling in the classroom in a bid to tackle a mental health crisis among British youth, under new Government plans. Around 3,000 health professionals will be trained to counsel anxious pupils, in a bid to tackle soaring levels of mental distress and self-harm, with every school also asked to have a designated teacher in charge of mental health.

The proposals, in a Government green paper on children and young people’s mental health, backed with £300m, will also see a four-week waiting time limit piloted.

The plans aim to tackle the scandal of troubled children - including those who are suicidal - facing long waits for psychiatrists, with some waiting as long as 18 months for help.

It follows warning of an epidemic of anxiety among Britain’s young, with a 70 per cent rise in self-harm among teenage girls in three years.

Experts say the internet is heaping pressures on children, with social media fueling a sense of inadequacy, dissatisfaction with appearance, and leaving some with no respite from bullying.

The strategy, due to be published on Monday puts the onus on schools to do more to respond to early signs of mental distress - and prevent children developing long-lasting problems.

Under the proposals, a new profession of healthcare professionals - called “well-being practitioners” - will be trained to deliver courses of therapy in schools, with psychology graduates among those likely to be targeted for the new roles.

Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary said: "Around half of all mental illness starts before the age of 14 so it is vital children get support as soon as they need it - in the classroom. If we catch mental ill health early we can treat it and stop it turning into something more serious.

"These ambitious new plans will work with schools to make sure this happens, as well as reducing waiting times for the most severe cases."

"We want every young person to grow up feeling confident about themselves and their future - but too often mental health issues can have a lifelong impact and affect their performance at school, careers and ultimately their life opportunities,” she said.

A new fund will be used to incentivise schools to have a designated member of staff responsible for mental health, to ensure better links between schools and local NHS services, and improve awareness among all teachers.

The mental health coordinators will also be responsible for making sure pastoral support is available for all pupils, and drawing up effective anti-bullying policies.

A maximum time limit of four weeks for those in need of specialist help will be piloted, amid concern that the most troubled children are waiting far too long for help, including those who are suicidal.

However, funding pressures and shortages of staff mean this target is unlikely to be introduced nationally until 2021.

Ministers said the plans represented a “fundamental shift in mental health support,” with Theresa May describing shortfalls in mental health services as one of the country’s “burning injustices”.

Yesterday a report showed the number of children aged nine and younger seeing NHS psychiatrists has risen by almost one third in a year, with more than 60,000 appointments for those in this age group.

We're facing a mental health crisis in our classrooms, and right now far too many children are not getting the support that they needSarah Brennan, YoungMinds chief executive

Sarah Brennan, chief executive of YoungMinds, said: "We're facing a mental health crisis in our classrooms, and right now far too many children are not getting the support that they need. Too often we hear from young people who have started to self-harm, become suicidal, or dropped out of school while waiting for the right help.

"We are very pleased to see the Government recognise the fundamental importance that schools play in building resilience of their pupils and intervening early when problems do emerge. So we welcome the green paper's proposals to introduce mental health leads in every school, as well as mental health support teams to offer support within schools as early as possible.”

She said the ambition for a four-week waiting time was also welcome.

"Long waits have a devastating impact on young people and their families, and currently only one in four young people with mental health problems get the help they need.

"Now it is crucial that services are given the resource to match the true scale of need, so that all children and young people in need of mental health support are able to get it,” she added.

The plans aim to train around 3,000 children and young people’s well-being practitioners (CWPs) over the next five years, to provide therapy in schools and colleges, and link up with local NHS services, so mental health problems can be tackled sooner, before they become entrenched.

The new profession, supervised by clinicians, is likely to be trained to offer Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and other treatments, working closely with educational psychologists and school nurses, and referring cases for specialist treatment when required.